The printer market today is over populated with various brands and configurations. Pricing varies as well depending on the brand and the features offered on it. Comparing the prices in a store and choosing the one that costs the least is not the way to go about buying a printer.

This write-up is meant to guide readers in choosing a printer wisely based on the real economy.

Price Tag Does Not Hold the Real Economy

The real economy of a printer is not reflected by the price tag it has but the cost of prints it offers. The cost of print is a key feature which is never a topic in the technical specifications sheet. The cost of prints vary depending on the technology the printer leverages upon, the ink cartridge packaging and the amount of ink leftovers in a cartridge once the printer software on the PC starts beeping error messages.

Some printers are very good with optimum deposition of ink on paper, examples include Kodak and Epson. By ensuring that a minimal deposition of ink with a decent output directly results with the cost of each print. Users should ensure that they read reviews on various printer websites and PC magazines before making the final decision.

Check if the Printers have Individual Cartridges or Packaged Cartridges?

The second important decisive factor while choosing a printer is to check whether a particular printer has individual cartridges or comes with a package that covers all inks in one single case. Note that in a packaged case, if any of the inks run out, the whole package needs to be replaced.

This is not the case with individual cartridges. Users are required to replace the ink cartridge that runs out. Individual cartridges are real economy. HP and Canon are the brands which usually offer printers in packaged cartridge format.

Your Ink Cartridge isn’t Really Empty when it Says so

When a printer software flashes a message stating that the ink cartridge is empty, the fact is that it may be lying, or at least exaggerating the problem. A certain amount of ink is required in cartridges to ensure that the printer head does not gets damaged when the ink levels run too low.

Depending on the leftover inks, it is important to choose a printer that wastes the least amount of ink. HP comes with print heads built on the cartridge, hence, theoretically, there should not be any leftover ink in its cartridges.

Buy a Printer with the Least Cost per Print

To conclude, choose a printer that does well on all the three aspects listed above. From experience, it is seen that Kodak and Epson printers perform the best in terms of economy even though its features are not on the top of the list.